By Jenny Ruth Nov. 28 (BusinessDesk) - The Reserve Bank expects its latest easing of loan-to-valuation restrictions on bank mortgage lending will feed through into higher house prices. The central bank is also reinforcing its view that all banks will need to hold more capit...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 28 (BusinessDesk) - The Reserve Bank is sending a strong signal to the life insurance industry that broker commissions are way out of whack with international comparisons. The central bank’s latest six-monthly Financial Stability Report contains a chart s...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 28 (BusinessDesk) - As widely expected, the Reserve Bank has further eased its loan-to-valuation restrictions on banks’ mortgage lending and the central bank said the risks to the country's financial system have eased in the last six months. In its latest...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 27 (BusinessDesk) - With three days to go before its takeover offer for Tilt Renewables expires, Infratil says full privatisation is “almost inevitable” now that it owns 85 percent of the company. Infratil is also warning shareholders who don’t wish to pa...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 27 (BusinessDesk) - Shares in Turners Automotive Group fell as much as 7.4 percent after it warned market conditions have deteriorated markedly. Turners’ shares sank as much as 20 cents to $2.53, taking their year-to-date decline to 23 percent. Investo...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 27 (BusinessDesk) - Turners Automotive Group says it had a dreadful October and, that if those conditions continue, its annual pre-tax profit could be down 5-10 percent on its guidance. The downturn has been bigger in Auckland and “we think it’s a cost of...

By Nikki Mandow Nov. 27 (BusinessDesk) - Retirement village and aged care operator Arvida Group saw strong growth in the six months to Sept. 30 on the back of high occupancy and contributions from last year’s acquisitions. The retirement village and aged care company predic...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 27 (BusinessDesk) - Turners Automotive lifted first-half net profit 28 percent and says strong performance from its insurance business offset a country-wide slowdown in the vehicle retailing sector. The company is also foreshadowing that its full-year res...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 26 (BusinessDesk) - Australian house prices are falling and prices here tend to follow suit with a peak impact after about six months, according to ASB Bank economist Mark Smith. Australian house prices are down about 3 percent from their October 2017 pea...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 26 (BusinessDesk) - ANZ Bank New Zealand has compensated about 86 percent of the 100,000 customers affected by its faulty loan calculator from March 2015. The remedial payments, expected to total close to $10 million, should be 95 percent complete by Chri...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 26 (BusinessDesk) - Tone deaf – that’s the most apt description summing up the attitude of Fletcher Building’s directors at the annual shareholders’ meeting earlier this month. Leave aside for the moment all the reasons shareholders have to be aggrieved a...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 26 (BusinessDesk) - Motor Trade Finance lifted annual net profit 9.3 percent on solid lending growth but says it was a game of two halves. “After a record-breaking 2017, the first half of the year continued strongly. Demand for the non-recourse product, i...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 26 (BusinessDesk) - The Financial Markets Authority says it continues to find inconsistencies in audits of listed and other companies that sell financial products to the public. However, as usual, the FMA is keeping mum on which audit firms are transgress...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 23 (BusinessDesk) - Political and economic ties between New Zealand and China will remain close despite concerns about alleged political interference by China, according to the macro research arm of Fitch Ratings. ​“Although concerns have mounted since Oc...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 23 (BusinessDesk) - A squeeze on housing credit in Australia as a result of its royal commission into financial services is likely to continue weighing on a wide swathe of share prices, according to Craigs Investment Partners. The share prices of banks, b...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 23 (BusinessDesk) - Ryman Healthcare doesn’t expect housing market downturns in Melbourne and possibly Auckland will affect it. Residential property prices in Melbourne have dropped 4.7 percent in the past year while Auckland prices have been flat to slig...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 23 (BusinessDesk) - Vital Healthcare Property Trust’s manager says it won’t exercise rights to remove directors or increase fees above current levels. The manager, Canada-based NorthWest Healthcare Properties Management, owns both Vital’s management contr...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 23 (BusinessDesk) - Ryman Healthcare is forecasting at least 9 percent full-year earnings growth as it expands its retirement village operations on both sides of the Tasman. The company is projecting underlying profit of $223 million to $238 million for t...

Nov. 22 (BusinessDesk) - Observers of recent rights issues may wonder why such heavily discounted share sales need to be underwritten.The bog standard reason – or excuse? – is that companies, or their bankers, want certainty that they’ll get the money they need.But a number of re...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 22 (BusinessDesk) - AFT Pharmaceuticals narrowed its losses in the latest first half year and says it’s on track to return to profitability The Maxigesic painkiller manufacturer’s net loss for the six months ended September eased to $4.2 million from $6.9...

(Fixes issue price for new shares in 6th paragraph in story that ran Wed Nov. 21) By Jenny Ruth Nov. 21 (BusinessDesk) - Energy Mad says it’s calling a special meeting for Dec. 6 to vote on the company’s future, including a reverse takeover by PaySauce valuing it at $10 mil...

By Jenny Ruth Nov. 21 (BusinessDesk) - The 11-member Tax Working Group is unlikely to be able to meet its key task of designing a capital gains tax because the group can’t agree on it, says former Inland Revenue deputy commissioner Robin Oliver. Those who read the group’s i...